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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wake — a trail
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — thin
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. content — the amount
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. arm — part of the body

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