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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — rain
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. season — of the year
  6. band — a ring
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — electric
  9. season — in sport
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — the fish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. current — happening now
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — a tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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