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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. chest — a box
  12. bore — to tire
  13. snap — to click
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — rain
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fork — in a road

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