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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 120 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. row — a line
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — a container
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. track — a song
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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