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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 116 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 need to ________________ round.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spell — letters
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pop — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — the sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pop — soda
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rash — a series
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rash — on the skin

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