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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ground — the earth
  11. shower — rain
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. scale — size or range
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. squash — the sport
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ground — a position
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. squash — to crush

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