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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: cap · rule · bowl · bear · tear · roll · perch · net

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rule — government
  6. net — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — a list
  9. rule — a law
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. bear — the animal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — a hat
  24. net — after costs

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