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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. shower — rain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pit — a hole
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chip — for betting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — a position
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — final

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