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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — in sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — of the year
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bear — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stem — to come from

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