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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — a gift
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. kick — in football
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. plane — a tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. snap — to click

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