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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pitch — completely
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fork — in a road
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. staff — employees
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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