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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 124 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — of a king
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. stem — to come from
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — of the year

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