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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cap — of ice
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mug — a face
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — belonging to me

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