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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. capital — money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — for a bird

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