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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — electric
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. current — of water
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — happening now
  18. chair — a leader
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bowl — a football final

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