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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to click
  4. field — farmland
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. spell — magic
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spell — letters
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. nail — on a finger

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