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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: toast · mug · pass · hand · ball · ground · bowl · game

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. ground — crushed
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. game — a match
  15. mug — a face
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. game — wild animals
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — bread
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pass — to succeed

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