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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — a lid
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bowl — a dish

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