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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — the month
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — a friend
  17. shower — to wash
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. squash — the sport

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