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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pit — in a race
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chest — a box
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — on a finger

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