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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. club — for dancing
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. plane — a tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bank — for money
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — a list
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. club — a group

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