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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rock — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — to rip
  21. land — to come down
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. land — ground

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