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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. bore — to drill
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bound — certain
  6. chest — a box
  7. bound — tied together
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bore — to tire
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — of your body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bound — obliged
  22. chest — of your body
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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