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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — of the year
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fall — the season
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ball — a great time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. season — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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