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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. ground — a position
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. perch — the fish
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — a loud noise

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