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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spring — a coil
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — to go on
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fork — in a road
  11. last — finally
  12. bound — tied together
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — the season
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bound — obliged
  21. roll — a list
  22. bound — certain
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. last — final

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