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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — the fish
  5. rule — government
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — for golf
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. club — for dancing
  14. scale — in music
  15. face — to confront
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. club — a group
  19. face — part of the head
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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