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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bore — to tire
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — soda
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bank — for money
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. straw — a straw man

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