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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — a trace
  7. kid — child
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mark — a grade
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mark — to pay attention

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