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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — a break
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — letters
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — the fish
  23. ground — a position
  24. spell — a short 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