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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bank — of a river
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bank — for money
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. club — for dancing
  11. face — to confront
  12. club — a group
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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