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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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468
Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a document
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kick — in football
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cue — a hint
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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