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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. object — a thing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — a position
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — to protest
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bat — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. drill — army training
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. object — an aim
  23. wave — of the sea
  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