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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. capital — money
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. shower — rain
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. net — after costs
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — in sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a word
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. capital — a big letter

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