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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mug — a face
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wake — a trail
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — for money
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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