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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. toast — bread
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mug — a cup
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. mug — a face
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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