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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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 football final
  2. mark — a grade
  3. roll — a list
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. file — a line of people
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bat — the animal
  13. file — a tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tear — to rip
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. roll — a cake
  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