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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for dancing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. club — a group
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — for golf
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. band — a music group

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