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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. track — a song
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. land — ground
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — to come down
  9. perch — the fish
  10. field — a subject
  11. race — humankind
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — to keep track
  14. race — the arms race
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. race — a contest
  19. land — a country
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — a dish

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