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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — the month
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. scale — in music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lie — an untruth

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