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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. toast — bread
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. date — the fruit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. cap — a hat
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. date — on the calendar

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