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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — for digging
  9. file — a line of people
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. file — a document
  17. ball — a great time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a match
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a tool
  24. ball — a round shape

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