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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. key — in music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cold — not warm
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mate — a friend

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