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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tear — to rip
  3. roll — a list
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mark — a trace
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a round shape

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