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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. face — to confront
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. last — final
  8. stand — to bear
  9. degree — an amount
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. face — part of the head
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — from a university
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. squash — the vegetable

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