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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. roll — a list
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. perch — the fish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. net — for catching
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. net — after costs
  14. swing — music
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. swing — in golf
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — in sport
  23. roll — a cake
  24. clip — to cut

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