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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — to come down
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pit — in a race
  8. firm — decided
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — a company
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rule — government
  18. firm — steady
  19. rule — a law
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. chest — a box
  24. land — a country

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