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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. club — for golf
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. board — a committee
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. perch — the fish
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. date — the fruit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. board — to get on

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