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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — to tease
  3. row — to paddle
  4. court — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mark — a grade
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. court — of a king
  13. press — to push
  14. cue — for pool
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mark — a trace
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kid — child

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