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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — low music
  7. object — an aim
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. object — a thing
  12. chair — a leader
  13. object — to protest
  14. capital — a city
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — after costs
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — money
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — for catching

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