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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rash — a series
  9. firm — a company
  10. fall — the season
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. fall — to drop
  21. game — a match
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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