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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pound — a weight
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. shower — rain
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spell — a short time
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. toast — bread
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. spell — letters

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