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

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cold — an illness
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — in a race
  14. squash — to crush
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cold — not warm
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. squash — the sport

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