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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — to go on
  4. spell — magic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — a tin
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rest — a break
  15. date — the fruit
  16. spell — a short time
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — final
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — letters
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — what's left

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