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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. perch — the fish
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — happening now
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — completely
  13. current — electric
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. current — of water
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. scale — in music

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