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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — of ice
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. game — a match
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. row — a line
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bass — low music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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