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

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. court — for sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — a gift
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. row — a line
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — completely
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pitch — a sports field

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