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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — low music
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. perch — for a bird

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