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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. land — ground
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — to come down
  7. row — a line
  8. ground — crushed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — a country
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pass — a permit

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