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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — certain
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. root — of a word
  7. bound — obliged
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — to be able to
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. capital — a city
  15. perch — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. capital — money
  20. can — a tin
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. root — the cause
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pass — a permit

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