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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — in cards
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the fish
  6. track — a song
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — a company
  10. hand — help
  11. rock — music
  12. firm — decided
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a path
  16. firm — steady
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — a line
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — to keep track
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rock — a stone
  24. racket — for tennis

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