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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. track — a song
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. ball — a dance
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tube — a container
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. track — a path
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ball — a great time
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — to keep track

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