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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spell — letters
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — a short time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spell — magic

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