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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. row — a line
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — of water
  23. rock — a stone
  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