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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. band — a ring
  5. shower — to wash
  6. prune — to trim
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. scale — in music
  11. rock — music
  12. shower — rain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. sharp — clever
  19. scale — size or range
  20. can — to be able to
  21. band — a music group
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. sharp — with an edge

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