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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. drill — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. row — to paddle
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. clip — for paper
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. clip — a video
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. drill — a practice

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