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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. drill — army training
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rash — hasty
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — a hint
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cue — a signal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — certain
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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