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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — a match
  3. branch — a division
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. ball — a great time
  10. object — an aim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. object — a thing
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — a practice
  22. object — to protest
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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