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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — the earth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ground — a position
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ground — crushed
  15. file — a tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. drill — army training
  18. bowl — to roll

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