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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pop — to visit
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pop — music
  24. rush — hurry

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