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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — to eat
  7. last — final
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — a position
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hand — help
  12. last — finally
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — crushed
  21. last — to go on
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. suit — in cards

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