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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — rain
  8. hand — help
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rock — music
  17. spell — letters
  18. roll — a list
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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