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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — bread
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — of a word
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. root — the cause
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. can — a tin
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. toast — the most admired

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