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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — letters
  7. object — to protest
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. object — a thing
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. row — a line
  23. spell — a short time
  24. object — an aim

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