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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cue — a hint
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. last — final
  18. pop — soda
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. cue — for pool

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