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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pop — music
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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