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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. tube — the underground
  11. ball — a dance
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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