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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. field — a subject
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. board — to get on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. hand — help
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bass — the fish
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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