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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.

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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cue — a signal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — certain
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a friend
  12. roll — a list
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cue — a hint
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bound — tied together

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