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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. row — a line
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. shower — to wash
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitch — completely
  16. row — to paddle
  17. foot — a measure
  18. board — a committee
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitch — a sports field

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