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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rash — a series
  5. present — a gift
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. present — there
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. net — for catching

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