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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — to handle
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — ground
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — letters
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — a dish

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