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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spring — the season
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fine — all right
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. fine — high quality
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bass — low music
  24. bore — to drill

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