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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cap — a lid
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. spring — the season
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. craft — boats
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. spring — of water
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. deal — to handle
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — a handicraft

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