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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. row — to paddle
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. row — a line
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. kick — in football
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. field — farmland
  24. bulb — of a plant

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