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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — in sport
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitch — completely
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. net — after costs
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. net — for catching
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. spring — of water

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