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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. club — a group
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. squash — the sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — for paper

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