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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. ball — a great time
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a dance
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. rush — a thrill

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