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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mug — to rob
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. track — a path
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — boats
  15. perch — the fish
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a song
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mug — a face
  23. cold — not warm
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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