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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bark — to shout
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. foot — a measure
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — a partner
  16. pit — in a race
  17. row — a line
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mate — to breed

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