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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — to keep track
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hand — in cards
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pop — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — a country
  13. hand — help
  14. land — ground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a song
  17. ball — a dance
  18. land — to come down
  19. pop — soda
  20. band — a ring
  21. pop — to visit
  22. track — a path
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ball — a great time

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