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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — for golf
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. club — a group
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. band — a music group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — in sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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