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

Word bank: racket · kid · present · file · mouse · roll · perch · suit

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. file — a line of people
  10. present — the time now
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — there
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. roll — a cake
  20. suit — to fit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. suit — clothes
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. suit — in cards

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