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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — a position
  22. staff — employees
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bowl — to roll

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