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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a trace
  4. foot — a measure
  5. branch — a division
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mark — a grade
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. roll — a list
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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