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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. snap — to click
  3. race — humankind
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pop — soda
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. race — the arms race
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. race — a contest
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. key — for a lock
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bat — for 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