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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fall — the season
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fork — in a road
  9. scale — in music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — to breed
  13. charge — in control
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. charge — a price
  19. scale — size or range
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rock — 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