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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. roll — a list
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ball — a great time
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. row — a line
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — the season
  18. pit — a hole
  19. clip — for paper
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. clip — to cut
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. mark — a grade

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