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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. swing — in golf
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a match
  12. craft — a skill
  13. swing — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — to wash
  21. craft — boats
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mark — a trace
  24. capital — money

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