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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mark — a grade
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cabinet — ministers

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