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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: date · rock · cap · scale · rash · drill · perch · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cap — a hat
  4. date — the fruit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. scale — in music
  8. cap — a lid
  9. drill — army training
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. scale — size or range
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. scale — for weighing

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