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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spell — letters
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. board — a committee
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — in a race
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — a hole

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