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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — to visit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — in music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. staff — employees
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pop — soda
  18. staff — a stick
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pop — music
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bowl — a dish

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