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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. object — to protest
  5. cue — a hint
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — for light
  18. object — an aim
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mark — a trace
  24. object — a thing

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