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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — to recline
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — of water
  6. club — a group
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. spell — magic
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — to paddle
  15. spring — the season
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. club — for golf
  20. spell — letters
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spring — a coil
  24. row — a line

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