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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — size or range
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — to go on
  12. game — a match
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. last — finally
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — wild animals

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