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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. tube — a container
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. toast — bread
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cell — a phone
  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