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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. land — ground
  4. ground — the earth
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — a signal
  7. land — to come down
  8. ground — crushed
  9. last — to go on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. last — final
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. ground — a position
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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