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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. land — ground
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — a grade
  10. season — of the year
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. plane — a tool
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kid — child
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — in sport
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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