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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — a position
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ground — crushed
  12. can — a tin
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ground — the earth
  24. hide — animal skin

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