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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — army training
  18. can — a tin
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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