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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a partner
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mate — to breed
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — completely
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — the fish

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