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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cap — a lid
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cap — a hat
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — finally
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. spell — letters
  16. last — final
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. content — happy
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — of ice
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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