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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stand — to bear
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pass — a permit
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kid — child
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ball — a dance
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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