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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 120 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cap — a lid
  6. scale — in music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. scale — size or range
  9. sharp — clever
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bank — for money
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cap — of ice
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bank — of a river
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cap — a hat

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