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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. march — music
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. branch — a division
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — bread
  17. drill — the tool
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lie — to recline
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — a jug

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