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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 120 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pop — to visit
  9. hand — help
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pop — music
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pass — a permit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — in geometry

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