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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. row — a line
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — happy
  7. craft — a skill
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hand — help
  15. stock — goods
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stock — shares
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hand — in cards
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tube — a container
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. content — the amount

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