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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — of water
  9. season — in sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. can — a tin
  13. shower — rain
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — the season
  16. mark — a trace
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — a grade
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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