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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cap — of ice
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — bread
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cap — a lid
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cap — a hat
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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