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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pop — music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — soda
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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