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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. field — farmland
  3. season — in sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. perch — the fish
  6. field — a subject
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a great time
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. field — for sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fork — to eat with
  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