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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — soda
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. land — ground
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spell — magic
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — a country
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — letters
  16. lean — thin
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. land — to come down
  24. pop — to visit

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