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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — help

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