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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. track — a path
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. game — a match
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fall — to drop
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fall — to drop

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