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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. land — a country
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. land — to come down
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — low music
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lean — to bend
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. land — ground
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bass — the instrument

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