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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cold — not warm
  9. firm — decided
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — a company
  13. scale — size or range
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — a thing
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. scale — in music
  21. object — to protest
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. object — an aim
  24. bowl — to roll

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