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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · dip · foot · mine · suit · trunk · mug · last

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. suit — to fit
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mug — a cup
  11. last — final
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. suit — clothes
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. last — finally
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. suit — in cards
  22. foot — a measure
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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