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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. game — a match
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. ball — a dance
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a great time
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — a position
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — final
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bowl — a football final

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