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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — the season
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bound — certain
  9. row — a line
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fall — the season
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bound — obliged
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a hole

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