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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 120 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. land — ground
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — clever
  22. suit — in cards
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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