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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. field — for sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fork — in a road
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. roll — a cake
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — a subject
  24. perch — the fish

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