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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rule — government
  5. ground — the earth
  6. row — to paddle
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. ground — a position
  18. pop — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. mug — a face
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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