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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mark — a grade
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. drill — army training
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chip — for betting
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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