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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — a song
  5. sharp — clever
  6. season — of the year
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — a video
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cue — for pool
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rush — hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. season — in sport

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