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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cue — a signal
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cue — a hint
  17. degree — temperature
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — the animal

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