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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. key — the most important part
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — of the year
  10. key — for a lock
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mine — for digging
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. key — in music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. scale — in music

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