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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. sharp — exactly

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