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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. shower — rain
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bat — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pound — a weight

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