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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. date — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. suit — to fit
  14. key — in music
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. suit — clothes
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cold — not warm
  19. key — for a lock
  20. suit — in cards
  21. rock — a stone
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. key — the most important part

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