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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — in football
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — a line
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitch — completely
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pitch — a sports field

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