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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. key — for a lock
  5. band — a music group
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pitch — completely
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. key — in music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. kid — child

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