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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bass — low music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cue — a signal
  19. object — to protest
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. object — a thing

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