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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. net — for catching
  13. mark — a trace
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — completely
  18. shower — rain
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fan — a supporter

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