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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. hand — help
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. current — electric
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. object — an aim
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. object — to protest
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. object — a thing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. toast — bread
  23. date — the fruit
  24. current — of water

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