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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — final
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bat — the animal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. perch — the fish
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — a grade

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