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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. clip — for paper
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pitch — completely
  17. clip — a video
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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