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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. object — an aim
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. object — a thing
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — to bear
  24. racket — for tennis

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