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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: cue · squash · field · rock · shower · perch · board · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. board — a committee
  5. shower — to wash
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — a stone
  9. field — a subject
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — farmland
  13. board — to get on
  14. cue — a signal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — for pool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cue — a hint
  20. field — for sport
  21. squash — the sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. racket — for tennis
  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