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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pop — soda
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pop — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. can — to be able to
  17. roll — a cake
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. can — a tin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bowl — to roll

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