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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cue — a signal
  3. net — in sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. land — to come down
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. rest — a break
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a great time
  17. net — after costs
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a dance

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