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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. present — there
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. present — a gift

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