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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitch — completely
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. kick — in football
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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