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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. shower — rain
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mug — a face
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rash — a series
  13. chip — for betting
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mug — to rob
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fork — in a road
  24. chip — in a computer

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