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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a song
  4. cap — a lid
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — a position
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ground — the earth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ground — crushed
  24. track — to keep track

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