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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. squash — to crush
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. key — in music
  9. ball — a dance
  10. key — the most important part
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — in sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — of the year
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — for a lock
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. squash — the vegetable

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