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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — rain
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — electric
  11. current — happening now
  12. rule — a law
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rule — government
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. perch — the fish
  21. current — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cell — a phone

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