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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. row — to paddle
  4. last — final
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — a line
  8. clip — for paper
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. club — for golf
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. club — a group
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — to cut
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. clip — a video
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. last — to go on

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