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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — a practice
  5. roll — a cake
  6. clip — to cut
  7. dip — to sink
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. drill — the tool
  11. toast — bread
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. roll — a list
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. drill — army training
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. clip — a video

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