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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. present — there
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — letters
  15. cue — a signal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cue — for pool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. present — the time now
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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