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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — a tin
  7. charge — in control
  8. craft — a skill
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. craft — boats
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — the arms race
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. perch — for a bird

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