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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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Word bank
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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: stick · pop · bowl · fork · squash · bass · snap · game

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. game — a match
  5. pop — to visit
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pop — soda
  23. snap — to click
  24. bass — low music

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