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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. shower — to wash
  3. game — a match
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bat — the animal
  7. race — a contest
  8. toast — bread
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. plane — a tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. shower — rain
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. can — a tin
  24. ball — a great time

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