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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. land — ground
  6. perch — the fish
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. land — to come down
  12. chest — of your body
  13. sharp — clever
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — a box
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. squash — to crush
  20. land — a country
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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