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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a signal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a friend
  15. shower — rain
  16. mate — to breed
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. lie — to recline
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. lie — an untruth

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