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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. foot — a measure
  4. last — final
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — for money
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — finally
  17. pit — a hole
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — for money
  24. last — to go on

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