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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. press — to push
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — a face
  23. ground — a position
  24. press — newspapers

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