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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. ground — a position
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rest — a break
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fine — all right
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tube — a container
  15. ground — the earth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. fine — high quality
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rest — what's left

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