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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. current — of water
  4. bat — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bulb — for light
  18. current — happening now
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. foot — the bottom

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