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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — final
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — to go on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mug — a face
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cell — in biology
  14. last — finally
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — a song
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cell — a phone

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