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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. drill — army training
  13. race — a contest
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pound — a weight
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. race — humankind

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