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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · scale · tube · net · track · rest · perch · season

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tube — the underground
  6. track — a song
  7. season — in sport
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. net — for catching
  13. scale — in music
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a path
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. track — to keep track
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. perch — for a bird

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