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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. season — in sport
  3. last — finally
  4. object — to protest
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. last — to go on
  12. mug — a face
  13. season — of the year
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mug — to rob
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. object — an aim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. object — a thing
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — final

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