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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bank — for money
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a tool
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bank — for money
  9. field — for sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — in football
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. file — a document
  19. bank — of a river
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. perch — for a bird

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