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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitch — completely
  4. current — electric
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — the animal
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — finally
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. present — there
  16. mine — for digging
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — happening now
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. current — of water
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

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