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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — of the year
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rash — a series
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fall — the season
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wave — of the sea

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