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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.

Words on the sheet
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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rash — a series
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cold — an illness
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bank — of a river
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cold — not warm
  24. snap — to click

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