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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mate — a friend
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mate — to breed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. shower — rain
  14. content — the amount
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — happy
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. content — videos and posts

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