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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. toast — bread
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. land — a country
  11. fork — in a road
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. last — to go on
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. last — final
  20. bound — certain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. land — ground
  23. land — to come down
  24. fork — a garden tool

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