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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — high quality
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rush — hurry
  17. key — for a lock
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hand — in cards
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — in music

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