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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. roll — a cake
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. game — a match
  10. field — for sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. roll — a list
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. suit — to fit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. root — of a word
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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