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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. staff — employees
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — a signal
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. march — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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