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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. swing — to play on
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. lean — thin
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lean — to bend
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. net — after costs
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. swing — in golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. staff — a stick
  16. net — in sport
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mark — a grade
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. swing — music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. staff — employees

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