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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. track — a song
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — to keep track
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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