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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. track — a song
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. track — a path
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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