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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: stick · cue · ball · fall · lie · bowl · kick · bat

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cue — a hint
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — the season
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cue — for pool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cue — a signal
  24. lie — to recline

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