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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bat — the animal

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