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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — soda
  8. rock — a stone
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pop — music
  16. hand — in cards
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pound — a weight
  20. snap — to click
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a dish

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