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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. spell — letters
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. present — the time now
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spell — magic
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. current — electric
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. present — there
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. present — a gift
  23. spell — a short time
  24. current — of water

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