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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. shower — rain
  4. squash — the sport
  5. club — a group
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bore — to tire
  12. squash — to crush
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. club — for golf
  16. bore — to drill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — to wash

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