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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. shower — rain
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. net — after costs
  14. squash — to crush
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cue — a signal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rash — a series

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