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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tube — the underground
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. kick — in football
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. root — the cause
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. root — of a word

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