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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lean — thin
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fine — high quality
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. land — ground
  9. saw — the tool
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — for pool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — a country
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. fine — all right
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lean — to bend
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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