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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. last — final
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — finally
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — a division

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