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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — rain
  3. row — to paddle
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. net — for catching
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — to confront
  11. content — the amount
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. object — to protest
  16. face — to point toward
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — part of the head
  21. content — happy
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. object — an aim
  24. bulb — of a plant

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