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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. roll — a list
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. firm — decided
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — money
  13. roll — a cake
  14. perch — the fish
  15. firm — steady
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. scale — in music
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — to sink
  23. capital — a city
  24. bowl — a dish

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