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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. shower — rain
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. net — for catching
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ground — the earth
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — after costs
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — a position
  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