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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fine — high quality
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fine — all right
  23. shower — rain
  24. game — a match

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