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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. staff — a stick
  14. current — of water
  15. staff — employees
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. nail — for a hammer

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