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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. key — the most important part
  8. shower — rain
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — ground
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. tube — the underground
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. key — in music
  16. tube — a container
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. key — for a lock
  22. land — a country
  23. board — to get on
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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