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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — a hole
  3. present — there
  4. row — to paddle
  5. present — the time now
  6. land — ground
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the sport
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — to crush
  19. vault — a safe
  20. saw — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. land — a country

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