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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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468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — the season
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. tube — a container
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. jam — in traffic

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