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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. file — a document
  3. perch — the fish
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — help
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hand — in cards
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — a gift
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. present — the time now
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. file — a line of people
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. present — there
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. clip — to cut

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