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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. club — a group
  10. wake — a trail
  11. club — for golf
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. field — farmland
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — a subject
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. press — newspapers
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wake — before a funeral

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