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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. current — electric
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a line
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. present — the time now
  9. current — of water
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. swing — music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ball — a great time
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — to paddle
  17. swing — in golf
  18. present — there
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — a gift
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fan — a supporter

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