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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — to shout
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stock — goods
  24. wind — to turn a key

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