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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 124 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: perch · bowl · roll · staff · rock · kid · pit · cold

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — a hole
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kid — child
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. roll — a list
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rock — to move gently

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