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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to confront
  6. shower — rain
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. current — electric
  10. spell — magic
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — letters
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — of water
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pound — a weight
  24. game — wild animals

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