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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. content — happy
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — the amount
  9. ground — a position
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ground — crushed
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — a line
  21. tube — a container
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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