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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mug — a face
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bound — certain
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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