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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — army training
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. face — to point toward
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. face — to confront
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. dip — to sink
  22. game — a match
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — the tool

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