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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — in music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bass — the fish
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mug — a cup
  10. club — a group
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — low music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. file — a tool
  16. mug — a face
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. file — a document
  23. bat — the animal
  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