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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · snap · pitcher · bowl · lie · cue · squash · fork

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cue — for pool
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cue — a hint
  13. snap — to click
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cue — a signal
  24. staff — a stick

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