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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. bear — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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