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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. shower — rain
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. current — electric
  9. fall — to drop
  10. current — of water
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. shower — to wash
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fall — the season
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. tear — from crying

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