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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — of water
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. net — in sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spring — the season
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. net — after costs
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. net — for catching
  24. perch — for a bird

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