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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pop — music
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. rash — a series
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a dish

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