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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. toast — bread
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a friend
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bulb — for light
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a partner
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ball — a great time
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lie — an untruth

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