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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — hurry
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bass — low music
  8. lean — thin
  9. season — of the year
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — army training
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. perch — for a bird

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