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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. can — to be able to
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — rain
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bore — to drill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bore — to tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bowl — a football final

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