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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — to rob
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. swing — in golf
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — a face
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — magic
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — music
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wind — to turn a key

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