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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. present — there
  3. track — to keep track
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — a gift
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. last — final
  8. present — the time now
  9. march — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ball — a dance
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a song
  16. deal — to handle
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — the fish
  20. last — to go on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. last — finally

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