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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — to handle
  3. suit — clothes
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — the animal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. suit — to fit
  12. game — a match
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rest — a break

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