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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — size or range
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. charge — in control
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — a price
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. charge — electricity
  18. season — of the year
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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