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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.

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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. net — in sport
  4. ground — the earth
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ground — crushed
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. net — after costs
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. drill — a practice
  16. net — for catching
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. drill — army training

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