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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rock — a stone
  12. shower — rain
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. band — a music group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fan — to cool the air

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