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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. game — wild animals
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. roll — a list
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a match
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bowl — a football final

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