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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cue — for pool
  3. band — a music group
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cue — a signal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. last — final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — a hint
  18. band — a ring
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bat — for baseball

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