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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — a container
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. degree — an amount
  15. saw — the tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tube — the underground

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