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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cap — a lid
  3. court — for sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a hat
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — thin
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — of a king
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. season — of the year
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cap — of ice
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wound — an injury

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