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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — a break
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. club — for golf
  7. spring — the season
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. press — to push
  14. spring — of water
  15. ground — a position
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. club — for dancing
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — crushed
  24. sharp — clever

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