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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mug — to rob
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — a list
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — the season
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — a coil
  15. file — a document
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — a trail
  23. file — a line of people
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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