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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. swing — music
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pit — in a race

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