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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kid — child
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. rush — hurry
  8. club — a group
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. last — finally
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — to tease
  18. club — for golf
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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