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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — government
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. squash — to crush
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. row — a line

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