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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — to wash
  8. chair — a leader
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stock — goods
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hand — help
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — a grade

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