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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. land — a country
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pit — in a race
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. foot — a measure
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tube — a container
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mark — a grade
  23. march — music
  24. land — ground

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