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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spell — magic
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cue — for pool
  6. firm — steady
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pop — soda
  12. firm — a company
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. firm — decided
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — the animal

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