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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bound — obliged
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — certain
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — the cause

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