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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. firm — decided
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — of law
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. firm — a company
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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