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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. shower — to wash
  10. firm — steady
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — decided
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — a company
  24. fine — a penalty

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