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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mark — a grade
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — a series
  24. cabinet — ministers

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