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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 116 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pound — a weight
  6. squash — to crush
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to click
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. squash — the sport
  16. club — a group
  17. net — for catching
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. club — for golf
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. pitcher — a jug

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