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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. roll — a list
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — in music
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — the most important part
  17. spring — of water
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — temperature
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — a coil

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