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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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