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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cell — in biology
  13. content — the amount
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — happy
  16. mate — to breed
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — a phone
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. can — to be able to

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