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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 120 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. charge — a price
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. charge — electricity
  16. ground — a position
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. charge — in control
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. band — a music group

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