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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — a line
  4. game — wild animals
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — in biology
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pop — to visit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a match
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rock — music
  22. spell — letters
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. row — to paddle

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