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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. court — of a king
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — high quality
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — all right
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wind — moving air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. can — a tin

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