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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — for paper
  4. craft — boats
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a path
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bass — low music
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. track — to keep track
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. clip — a video
  21. net — after costs
  22. track — a song
  23. bass — the fish
  24. court — of a king

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