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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fine — all right
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — of ice
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fine — high quality
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cap — a hat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — for paper
  24. sharp — with an edge

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