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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a dance
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitch — completely
  10. drill — army training
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — of a plant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. root — of a word
  22. chest — a box
  23. root — the cause
  24. ball — a great time

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