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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rest — a break
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — a hint
  24. deal — to handle

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