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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a match
  5. mug — a face
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — hurry
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — to rob
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mug — a cup
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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