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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. saw — the tool

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