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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 124 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bat — the animal
  13. row — to paddle
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. 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