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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. object — a thing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — rain
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bowl — a dish

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