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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. last — finally
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — a container
  18. bass — low music
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the fish

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