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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — a subject
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fine — all right
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — farmland
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — rain
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mate — a partner
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — in a tire

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