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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wind — moving air
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rock — music
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — rain
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — a soup base

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