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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. scale — in music
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rush — hurry
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — a subject
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — farmland
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. field — for sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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