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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spell — magic
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — letters
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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