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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. snap — to click
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. roll — a list
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — to bear
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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