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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 124 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bore — to tire
  4. ball — a great time
  5. capital — a city
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — to bear
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bore — to drill
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mouse — the animal
  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