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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rash — a series
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cue — a hint
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cold — an illness
  15. charge — in control
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cue — for pool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bass — low music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — a price

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