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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — an aim
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cell — a phone
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — a thing
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. squash — the sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. object — to protest
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. squash — to crush

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