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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 120 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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cap — a lid
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — a match
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. game — wild animals
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — a line
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. trunk — of a tree

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