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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — part of the head
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — low music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. snap — to click
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to confront
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. fall — the season

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