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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — a contest
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — a phone
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mug — to rob
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mug — a face
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cell — in biology
  21. squash — to crush
  22. race — humankind
  23. shower — rain
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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