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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — of water
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. game — a match
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. spring — a coil
  8. game — wild animals
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — the fish
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — to point toward
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. spring — the season
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — for a bird

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