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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mug — to rob
  4. dip — to sink
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mug — a cup
  8. staff — employees
  9. mug — a face
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stem — to come from
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. ground — a position
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. ground — the earth
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — a stem cell

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