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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. snap — to click
  16. track — a path
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. track — a song
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rule — government
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bowl — to roll

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