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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cue — a hint
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. chair — a leader

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