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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lean — thin
  6. last — final
  7. lean — to bend
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. game — a match
  11. last — finally
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. drill — army training
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rush — hurry
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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