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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. root — the cause
  8. content — the amount
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. perch — the fish
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. file — a document
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a line of people
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. file — a tool

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