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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — a grade
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. board — a committee
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. board — to get on
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — army training
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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