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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ground — a position
  13. spell — letters
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. spell — magic
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spell — a short time
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ground — crushed

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