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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. net — after costs
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. clip — for paper
  11. net — for catching
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — the sport
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — a video
  17. squash — to crush
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of a king
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. nail — for a hammer

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