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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. squash — the sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. key — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — thin
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lean — to bend
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. season — of the year
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — a grade
  19. season — in sport
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wind — moving air

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