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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — for sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — farmland
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fine — all right
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fine — high quality
  18. shower — rain
  19. drill — army training
  20. field — a subject
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mug — to rob
  24. coach — a trainer

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