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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. spell — magic
  10. suit — clothes
  11. charge — in control
  12. court — of law
  13. charge — a price
  14. chest — a box
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. suit — to fit
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pop — soda
  19. drill — army training
  20. court — of a king
  21. suit — in cards
  22. pop — to visit
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spell — letters

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