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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rest — a break
  4. capital — money
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. plane — a tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. capital — a city
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. fork — in a road
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a music group
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — an aircraft

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