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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bore — to drill
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. season — in sport
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tube — a container
  21. land — a country
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bowl — to roll

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