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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. last — final
  7. pop — soda
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — finally
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. snap — to click
  20. march — the month
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rest — a break
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. last — to go on

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