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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rush — hurry
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a path
  5. can — a tin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. season — of the year
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — to keep track
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a committee
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. track — a song

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