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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. field — farmland
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lie — to recline
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — to rob
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — a thing
  12. mug — a face
  13. object — to protest
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — an aim
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — a subject
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

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