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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — a cup
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. net — after costs
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rest — a break
  11. can — to be able to
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mug — a face
  15. can — a tin
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. net — for catching
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. net — in sport
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mug — to rob

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