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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. toast — bread
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cap — a hat
  24. drill — army training

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