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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. face — part of the head
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — a group
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. club — for golf
  20. chair — a leader
  21. club — for dancing
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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