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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. prune — to trim
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. perch — the fish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. dip — to sink

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