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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — army training
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bound — certain
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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