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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bound — certain
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — the most important part
  11. net — in sport
  12. toast — bread
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. net — for catching
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. net — after costs
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bowl — a football final

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