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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. season — of the year
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pop — music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. foot — a measure
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — in sport
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — a hole
  24. foot — part of the body

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