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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. capital — a city
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. capital — money
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. straw — a straw man

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