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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. current — of water
  8. roll — a list
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. track — to keep track
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — of the year
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. perch — the fish

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