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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mug — a face
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rule — government
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rule — a law
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chip — for betting
  24. rule — to rule out

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