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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. club — for golf
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. face — to confront
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. face — to point toward

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