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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 120 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. root — of a plant
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — in a race
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. root — of a word
  18. saw — the tool
  19. root — the cause
  20. lean — to bend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rest — a break
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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