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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. firm — steady
  5. capital — money
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. firm — decided
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — a company
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bore — to tire
  22. capital — a city
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bat — the animal

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