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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mug — a face
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bore — to tire
  9. capital — a city
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. swing — music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bore — to drill
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. capital — money
  24. bark — to shout

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