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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — a weight
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rash — a series
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bowl — to roll

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