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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cue — for pool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cell — in a prison

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