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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — in music
  4. season — of the year
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — music
  18. field — a subject
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — soda
  24. field — farmland

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