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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fine — high quality
  10. perch — the fish
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fine — all right
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. row — to paddle
  24. scale — size or range

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