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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. perch — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — to rob
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mug — a face
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  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