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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — for catching
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. root — the cause
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. net — in sport
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. net — after costs
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fork — in a road
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. root — of a word
  24. chest — of your body

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