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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. scale — in music
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — a leader
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. scale — size or range
  15. shower — rain
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fine — all right
  24. shower — to wash

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