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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — a coil
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. spring — of water
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — help
  19. kick — in football
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. kick — a thrill

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