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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. lean — to bend
  21. march — the month
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. ball — a round shape

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