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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. season — of the year
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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