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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — a trail
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. swing — music
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mark — a grade

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