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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. drill — army training
  4. object — an aim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rest — a break
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — the cause
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pound — a weight
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. root — of a word
  24. drill — a practice

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