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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. suit — to fit
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — for sport
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. court — of law
  15. object — a thing
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. suit — in cards
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. object — an aim
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. object — to protest

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