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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bound — certain
  10. mark — a trace
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. tube — a container
  19. suit — clothes
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cold — an illness
  22. game — a kind of play
  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