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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. current — of water
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pop — music
  15. current — electric
  16. shower — rain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — a box
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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