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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. drill — army training
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a ring
  8. drill — a practice
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. season — of the year
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. craft — a skill
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a music group

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