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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — for a lock
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — the tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. track — a path
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — army training
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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