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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. rock — music
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — after costs
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tube — a container
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. net — in sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. row — a line
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rock — a stone
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bowl — a dish

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