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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. lean — thin
  9. ball — a dance
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — the month
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — help
  24. march — music

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