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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — obliged
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. last — finally
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — final
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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