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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — a hole
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. pit — in a race
  8. present — the time now
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spell — a short time
  19. present — there
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. shower — to wash
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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