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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a dance
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mark — a grade
  20. date — the fruit
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ball — a great time
  24. date — on the calendar

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