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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.

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: wound · can · perch · bowl · fall · track · kick · game

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — a path
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. track — a song
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — to keep track
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — the season
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. fall — to drop
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — an injury

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