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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rest — what's left
  3. season — in sport
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — in a race
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rest — a break
  16. season — of the year
  17. spring — the season
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a line

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