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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. net — in sport
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. plane — a tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. suit — clothes
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — after costs
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tear — to rip
  24. suit — in cards

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