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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. craft — boats
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mine — for digging
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bass — the instrument

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