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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wake — a trail
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. clip — for paper
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — in sport
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — a video
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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