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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — to eat
  10. last — to go on
  11. bound — tied together
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bound — certain
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. last — finally
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — help
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bound — obliged
  24. foot — a measure

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