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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. key — for a lock
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spell — magic
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chip — to eat
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — letters
  16. key — in music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stand — to bear

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