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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mark — a trace
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bound — certain
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — obliged
  16. hand — help
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bowl — a dish

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