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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — the arms race
  6. object — a thing
  7. lean — thin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. race — humankind
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. object — to protest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mug — a cup
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. fork — in a road
  23. race — a contest
  24. fork — to eat with

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