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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: bowl · bay · wake · face · can · perch · kid · dip

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. kid — to tease
  6. dip — to sink
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — a trail
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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