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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rock — music
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rest — a break
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — what's left
  18. clip — a video
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rock — to move gently

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