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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pop — soda
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — boats
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. file — a document
  11. game — wild animals
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. file — a tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. craft — a skill
  23. game — a match
  24. mouse — the animal

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