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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. row — to paddle
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — a trace
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. row — a line
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — ground
  24. mark — to pay attention

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