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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. last — to go on
  2. net — in sport
  3. perch — the fish
  4. club — a group
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — for golf
  10. last — final
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — finally
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — a signal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. club — for dancing
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bowl — a football final
  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