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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. face — to confront
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. season — of the year
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cap — a lid
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — in sport
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — a hat

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