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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — a position
  21. fall — the season
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mark — a grade

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