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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. drill — a practice
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — the tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. root — of a word
  8. squash — to crush
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. squash — the sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — the fish
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. drill — army training
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. root — the cause
  24. pass — to succeed

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