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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. dip — to sink
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. race — the arms race
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — a break
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. shower — rain

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