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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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 — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. net — for catching
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. wound — an injury
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — rain
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. season — to add flavour
  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