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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. last — finally
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. last — final
  7. toast — bread
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — completely
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. can — a tin

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