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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — low music
  8. march — the month
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. perch — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — music
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — in geometry

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