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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. march — the month
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — rain
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cue — for pool
  24. patient — a sick person

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