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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — for catching
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rest — what's left
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. net — after costs
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a music group
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. band — a ring
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lean — thin
  19. net — in sport
  20. foot — a measure
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. field — for sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rest — a break

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