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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — a trail
  9. object — an aim
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. object — to protest
  12. race — a contest
  13. press — to push
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — finally
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — a thing

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