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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — music
  8. hand — help
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. file — a document
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wound — an injury
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fan — to cool the air

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