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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — a short time
  3. last — final
  4. shower — rain
  5. game — a match
  6. rush — hurry
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. game — wild animals
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. spell — magic
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spell — letters
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. plane — a tool

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