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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. file — a tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. scale — in music
  7. key — in music
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. key — the most important part
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mate — a friend
  19. squash — the sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. key — for a lock
  24. hide — to keep secret

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