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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. race — humankind
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — completely

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