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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — rain
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. arm — part of the body

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