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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 124 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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — the fish
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. board — to get on
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. court — of law
  15. spring — of water
  16. board — a committee
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — music

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