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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — a position
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — to play on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. swing — in golf
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. swing — music
  24. row — a line

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