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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — happy
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. shower — rain
  18. rush — hurry
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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