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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. can — a tin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to sink
  9. squash — the sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. squash — to crush
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — obliged
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. dip — a sauce

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