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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — to handle
  4. field — for sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. club — for golf
  8. field — farmland
  9. capital — a city
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a music group
  13. field — a subject
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. capital — money
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. club — for dancing

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