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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mug — to rob
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. drill — army training
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bear — the animal

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