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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — tied together
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pop — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. present — there
  10. cue — a signal
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. present — a gift
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. ball — a round shape

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