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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. club — a group
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — to go on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — finally

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