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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — music
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bear — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. track — a song
  19. net — after costs
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bear — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. swing — to play on

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