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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — a container
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. firm — steady
  12. shower — rain
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — to visit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. firm — decided
  21. tube — the underground
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pop — soda
  24. firm — a company

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