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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — magic
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. foot — a measure
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pit — in a race
  12. spell — letters
  13. mark — a grade
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mark — a trace
  16. field — for sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. field — farmland
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. racket — a loud noise

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