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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: squash · roll · band · snap · bark · court · cell · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. bark — to shout
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a ring
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — of law
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. court — of a king
  24. squash — to crush

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