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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: pit · snap · mug · rest · ball · band · perch · row

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. band — a ring
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pit — in a race
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rest — a break
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. row — a line
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — to paddle
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ball — a great time
  23. band — a music group
  24. snap — to click

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