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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the fish
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. present — the time now
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bass — low music
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. present — there
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. present — a gift
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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