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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a dance
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — to confront
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to point toward
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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