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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. snap — to click
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — to go on
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. net — after costs
  13. mug — a cup
  14. net — for catching
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. last — final
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. can — a tin
  24. mug — to rob

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