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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. suit — clothes
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitch — completely
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — a weight
  12. snap — to click
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. suit — in cards
  23. court — of law
  24. season — in sport

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