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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. capital — money
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ball — a dance
  10. saw — the tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. staff — employees
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. object — a thing
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. ball — a great time
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cap — a lid
  21. object — to protest
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cap — of ice
  24. object — an aim

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