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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. row — a line
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. chip — for betting
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. patient — a sick person

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