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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pit — in a race
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to sink
  14. board — a committee
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. board — to get on
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. march — music
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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