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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. perch — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. hand — help
  11. spell — letters
  12. board — a committee
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — magic
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — to get on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pit — in a race
  24. hand — part of the body

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