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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — final
  4. key — in music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — finally
  8. file — a document
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rush — hurry
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ball — a great time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. file — a tool
  22. last — to go on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. racket — for tennis

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