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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — to rob
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mug — a face
  12. field — a subject
  13. can — a tin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. file — a tool
  16. bat — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. file — a line of people
  19. field — for sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mug — a cup

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