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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. net — after costs
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — for catching
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mate — a friend
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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