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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: land · bowl · ball · bark · swing · mate · cue · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bark — to shout
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. land — a country
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ball — a dance
  10. swing — music
  11. fall — the season
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ball — a great time
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. swing — to play on
  24. land — to come down

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