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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: ball · ground · tear · date · season · bowl · firm · dip

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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. tear — from crying
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tear — from crying
  6. dip — to sink
  7. firm — steady
  8. tear — to rip
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — the earth
  16. firm — decided
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — a position
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a dance
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. firm — a company

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