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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. dip — to sink
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pit — in a race
  24. season — in sport

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