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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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468
Word bank
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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — low music
  8. fall — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cell — in a prison

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