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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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Word bank
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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: bat · lean · mate · capital · bowl · mug · roll · season

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. capital — money
  10. season — of the year
  11. lean — to bend
  12. capital — a city
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — a cake
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mate — a friend
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lean — thin
  22. season — in sport
  23. roll — a list
  24. bowl — to roll

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