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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. game — a match
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. field — for sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — a subject
  10. bound — certain
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. game — wild animals
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. rest — a break
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bound — obliged
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com