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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — of the year
  3. kid — child
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bank — for money
  9. rest — a break
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. season — in sport

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