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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 124 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a ring
  3. court — of law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. present — a gift
  15. court — of a king
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — for tennis

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