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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. board — a committee
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. board — to get on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — the tool
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — happy
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — the fish

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