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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — size or range
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. toast — bread
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — a subject
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — farmland
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — child
  21. bear — the animal
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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