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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — to visit
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — ground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — music
  24. season — in sport

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