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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. craft — a skill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — a trail
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bat — the animal
  19. craft — boats
  20. rock — music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bat — in an idiom

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