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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.

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: ruler · perch · pop · wound · season · chest · bowl · hide

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chest — a box
  10. season — of the year
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pop — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — in sport
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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