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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. court — for sport
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — to come down
  9. face — part of the head
  10. land — ground
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. club — a group
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. mark — a grade
  16. club — for dancing
  17. land — a country
  18. club — for golf
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mark — a trace
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — to bear

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