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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — employees
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. shower — to wash
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — dry grass
  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