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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — of a king
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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