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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. object — to protest
  3. bat — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — to go on
  9. cue — for pool
  10. last — final
  11. pound — a weight
  12. game — a match
  13. last — finally
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. object — a thing
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. object — an aim
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bowl — a dish

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