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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a dance
  8. degree — temperature
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pop — soda
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — a dish

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