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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — a partner
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mate — to breed
  14. squash — to crush
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — a position
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a friend
  22. saw — the tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — to roll

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