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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · shower · mate · saw · fan · key · clip · perch

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. clip — a video
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. key — for a lock
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — to breed
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mate — a friend
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. key — in music

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