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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tube — a container
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mark — a trace

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