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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — to come down
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a great time
  9. land — ground
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — the earth
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — magic
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — letters
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. ground — a position
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fall — to drop

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