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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — a break
  10. net — after costs
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cue — a hint
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cue — for pool

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