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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. face — to confront
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — the month
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. face — to point toward
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. march — music
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rock — a stone
  21. branch — a division
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. row — a line
  24. mine — an explosive

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