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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — rain
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wound — an injury
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pit — a hole
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. shower — to wash

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