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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — in sport
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. land — a country
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. net — for catching
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — ground
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — low music
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — music

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