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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rash — a series
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitch — completely
  19. toast — bread
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wake — a trail

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