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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bark — to shout
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — the fish
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fine — all right
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bass — low music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tear — to rip
  23. clip — a video
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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