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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. spell — a short time
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. spell — magic
  5. track — to keep track
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — for catching
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spell — letters
  16. squash — the sport
  17. track — a path
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. net — in sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. net — after costs
  23. track — a song
  24. mark — a trace

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