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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. key — the most important part
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — the fish
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — in music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rash — a series
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — on the skin

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