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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — soda
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. march — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pop — music
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. march — the month

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