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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. squash — to crush
  3. firm — decided
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — steady
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — a hint
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. firm — a company
  17. lie — to recline
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. net — for catching
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — music
  23. squash — the sport
  24. march — the month

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