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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — bread
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — after costs
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. net — in sport
  15. hand — help
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. squash — the sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bowl — a football final

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