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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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. content — happy
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. snap — to click
  15. cue — for pool
  16. march — the month
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — videos and posts

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