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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. present — there
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. club — a group
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mug — to rob
  12. face — part of the head
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mug — a face
  15. face — to point toward
  16. present — a gift
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for golf
  19. present — the time now
  20. bound — certain
  21. rash — a series
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — to confront
  24. bowl — a football final

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