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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pound — a weight
  5. shower — rain
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. band — a music group
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tube — a container
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pop — soda
  24. tube — the underground

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