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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. roll — a list
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — a grade
  16. lean — thin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. game — a match

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