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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — a friend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — after costs

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