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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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468
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. perch — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — crushed
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — a trail
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. squash — the sport

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