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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. court — of a king
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. perch — the fish
  10. field — farmland
  11. court — of law
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. court — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bat — the animal
  24. trunk — of a car

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