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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: rule · racket · mouse · face · perch · pitcher · rash · field

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — government
  4. face — part of the head
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. field — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rash — a series
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — to confront
  19. rule — a law
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — hasty
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. perch — the fish

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