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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. charge — in control
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. file — a document
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fork — in a road
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. perch — for a bird

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