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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. land — to come down
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — finally
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bear — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — the fish
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. last — to go on
  24. land — ground

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