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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 120 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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bark — to shout
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kick — in football
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. foot — a measure

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