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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. can — to be able to
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. can — a tin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. court — for sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — the fish
  13. wake — a trail
  14. field — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. field — a subject
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. court — of a king
  24. field — farmland

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