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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. present — the time now
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — a position
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — a gift
  24. wake — before a funeral

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