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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
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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — the season
  4. row — a line
  5. perch — the fish
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — of water
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cue — for pool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. mate — to breed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bowl — to roll

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