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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. root — the cause
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. pass — a permit
  12. last — to go on
  13. squash — the sport
  14. root — of a word
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hand — in cards
  17. squash — to crush
  18. last — final
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — finally
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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