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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. key — in music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. band — a music group
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. scale — in music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — final
  18. bark — to shout
  19. band — a ring
  20. last — to go on
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. last — finally
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pound — a weight

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