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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bore — to tire
  4. net — after costs
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. roll — a list
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. net — for catching
  10. ball — a dance
  11. net — in sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. foot — a measure
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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