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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. club — a group
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — for golf
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bark — to shout
  19. club — for dancing
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pass — a permit

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