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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 · land · cap · stick · perch · nail · bay · mark

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — ground
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — a country
  13. mark — a trace
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. land — to come down
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mark — a grade
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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