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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: row · bowl · deal · lean · season · chip · bore · perch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — of the year
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. season — in sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. perch — the fish
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — a line
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lean — thin
  19. row — to paddle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chip — to eat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — in a computer

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