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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — low music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spring — of water
  19. net — for catching
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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