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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. last — to go on
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. last — final
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pop — music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. pop — soda

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