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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 120 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. scale — size or range
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. file — a document
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. file — a line of people
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kick — in football
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. board — a committee
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — to get on
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. racket — for tennis

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