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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — for digging
  6. shower — rain
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pop — soda
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pop — music
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. land — a country
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pop — to visit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. toast — bread
  23. shower — to wash
  24. toast — the most admired

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