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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. pass — a permit
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. lean — to bend
  23. key — in music
  24. cell — a phone

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