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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a grade
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — there
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. present — a gift
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. land — a country
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. land — ground
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. staff — a stick
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — the time now
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a trace

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