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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. present — a gift
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — the time now
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. club — for dancing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. present — there
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kick — in football
  22. club — a group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — the animal

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