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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 112 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — to play on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. swing — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — the month

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