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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — soda
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — ground
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. last — final
  12. pop — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. last — finally
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pop — to visit
  24. plane — in geometry

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