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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bore — to drill
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — a container
  6. root — of a word
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. root — the cause
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — gave birth

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