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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — part of the head
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — of the year
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. row — to paddle
  9. face — to confront
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. row — a quarrel

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