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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pit — a hole
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — an aim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. object — a thing
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. object — to protest
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — army training
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pound — for dogs

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