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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. court — for sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. pop — music
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. court — of law
  15. press — to push
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bore — to drill
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — of a king

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