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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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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mug — a face
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — the underground
  5. craft — boats
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. last — final
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. perch — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mug — a cup
  15. craft — a skill
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — finally
  22. dip — to sink
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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