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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fine — all right
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. charge — in control
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fine — high quality
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — in music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. charge — a price
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. plane — a tool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. shower — rain

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