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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mug — a face
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mug — a cup
  5. kid — child
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. snap — to click
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — soda
  17. game — wild animals
  18. dip — to sink
  19. land — to come down
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pop — music
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — ground
  24. dip — to dunk

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