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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. craft — a skill
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. court — of a king
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. court — of law
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bark — to shout
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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