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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — the animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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