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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — in music
  24. fan — a supporter

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