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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. shower — rain
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pop — soda
  24. plane — in geometry

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