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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mate — a friend
  5. pitch — completely
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mate — a partner
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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