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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cap — a lid
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a music group
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. band — a ring
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mine — for digging
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a leader
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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