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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. game — a match
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. content — the amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — wild animals
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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