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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — clothes
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — music
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. file — a line of people
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — a break
  15. file — a document
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — what's left
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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