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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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468
Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. toast — bread
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — in sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. hand — help
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. band — a ring
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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