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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spring — of water
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a great time
  14. last — to go on
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mug — a face
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mug — a cup
  22. last — final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mug — to rob

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