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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — letters
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pit — a hole
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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