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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. swing — music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. roll — a cake
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. swing — to play on
  18. roll — a list
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pound — a weight

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