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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — a short time
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. swing — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — magic
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mate — to breed
  22. swing — to play on
  23. tube — a container
  24. plane — in geometry

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