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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ground — crushed
  6. capital — money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. chair — a leader
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — a city
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. ground — a position
  24. bowl — to roll

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