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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. scale — in music
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. drill — a practice
  13. shower — rain
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — army training
  19. prune — to trim
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — newspapers

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