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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — to rob
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — in sport
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mug — a face
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — low music

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