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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. scale — size or range
  10. tube — a container
  11. wind — moving air
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. shower — rain
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. row — a line
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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