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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. kick — with a leg
  4. bore — to drill
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. stock — goods
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — shares
  16. bore — to tire
  17. club — for golf
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — in music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. kick — in football
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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