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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pop — to visit
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ball — a dance
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — finally
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. last — final
  13. pop — soda
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. game — wild animals
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. last — to go on
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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