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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — the underground
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. season — in sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — after costs
  19. spell — a short time
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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