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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. key — in music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. hand — help
  12. key — the most important part
  13. field — a subject
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — a measure
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — farmland
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. field — for sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitch — completely

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