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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. present — a gift
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — the time now
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — there
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — to keep track
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. track — a song

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