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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. face — to confront
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. cap — a hat
  8. roll — a cake
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. face — to point toward
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stock — goods
  18. roll — a list
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — a sauce

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