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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mark — a trace
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — of water
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — a grade
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — the season
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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