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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mate — to breed

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