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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mate — a partner
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rock — music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — certain
  19. rock — a stone
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bound — obliged
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bowl — to roll

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