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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rock — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

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