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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — to be able to
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. degree — temperature
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. can — a tin
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — hurry

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