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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. net — for catching
  4. clip — for paper
  5. march — the month
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. march — the month
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — boats
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — in sport
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — a video
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rule — a law
  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