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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — for digging
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — shares
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. cue — a signal
  16. last — finally
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. last — final
  24. pit — in a race

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