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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. file — a tool
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. rash — a series
  19. pass — a permit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — rain
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fan — a supporter

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