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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. ball — a great time
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. sharp — clever
  15. suit — clothes
  16. snap — to click
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pop — music
  23. ball — a dance
  24. toast — bread

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