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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — a hole
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. club — a group
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — wild animals
  22. club — for golf
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. game — a match

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