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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. cue — for pool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. wake — a trail
  15. spring — the season
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — of water
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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