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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. cue — for pool
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — ground
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cue — a hint
  14. net — for catching
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. toast — bread
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — in sport
  22. charge — a price
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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