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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: land · spell · toast · saw · race · can · bowl · perch

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. saw — the tool
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. land — to come down
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — the fish
  19. toast — bread
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. land — ground
  23. race — humankind
  24. land — a country

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