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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitch — completely
  13. dip — to sink
  14. perch — the fish
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — bread
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — army training
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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