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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. band — a music group
  11. roll — a cake
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. roll — a list
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — a sauce

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