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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — rain
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. capital — a city
  11. perch — the fish
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — electricity
  20. capital — money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. season — of the year
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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