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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: shower · squash · key · ground · calf · march · perch · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — music
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — a position
  15. squash — the sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ground — crushed
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. key — for a lock
  23. shower — to wash
  24. key — in music

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