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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. pitch — completely
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. ball — a dance
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bowl — to roll

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