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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bound — tied together
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bound — obliged
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. perch — the fish
  16. field — a subject
  17. rush — hurry
  18. field — farmland
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. wake — a trail

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