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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mark — a grade
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mug — a face
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bulb — of a plant

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