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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. net — in sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — for catching
  10. board — a committee
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. drill — army training
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — after costs
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cue — for pool
  24. court — for sport

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