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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — in football
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. capital — a city
  13. perch — the fish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rest — what's left
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — a break
  23. sharp — clever
  24. capital — money

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