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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — to breed
  5. spring — the season
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. spring — a coil
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. toast — bread
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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