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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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 football final
  2. shower — rain
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. net — after costs
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — the season
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — to confront
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — in sport
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  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