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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. clip — for paper
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — of law
  17. clip — a video
  18. court — of a king
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — on a finger

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