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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. game — a match
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — rain
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fall — to drop

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