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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bowl · hide · wound · tear · ball · current · pitcher · perch

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. current — electric
  6. wound — an injury
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. tear — to rip
  18. current — of water
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a dish
  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