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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. key — in music
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. ground — a position
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stem — to come from
  14. branch — a division
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. key — the most important part
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. dip — to dunk

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