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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. charge — in control
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. charge — electricity
  9. field — farmland
  10. cue — for pool
  11. charge — a price
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — for digging
  16. current — of water
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. field — a subject
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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