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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a document
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. net — after costs
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — a tool
  24. band — a ring

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