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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. content — happy
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — thin
  6. spell — a short time
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. content — the amount
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lean — to bend
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. spell — letters
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — to rest against

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