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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rash — a series
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — rain
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — a leader
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. spell — a short time
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. content — happy
  17. bank — of a river
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — for money
  20. spell — magic
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bank — for 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