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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — to rob
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — of a river
  7. object — a thing
  8. file — a tool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. file — a document
  16. bank — for money
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. season — in sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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