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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chip — to eat
  6. game — a match
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bore — to drill
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. last — to go on
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bank — for money
  15. last — finally
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bore — to tire
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. last — final
  24. game — wild animals

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