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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 124 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. firm — steady
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. content — happy
  14. firm — a company
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. firm — decided
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. band — a music group

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