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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a line
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. last — finally
  12. perch — the fish
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. craft — boats
  16. rule — government
  17. last — final
  18. rule — a law
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. craft — a skill
  24. row — to paddle

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