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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — of law
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mate — a friend
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — farmland
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mate — a partner
  21. field — for sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fan — a supporter

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