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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pop — soda
  3. object — to protest
  4. row — a line
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. object — a thing
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pop — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — to visit
  19. object — an aim
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. last — final
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — to go on

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