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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. club — for dancing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — a video
  5. row — to paddle
  6. club — for golf
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — to recline
  11. saw — the tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — a line
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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