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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spell — magic
  3. tear — to rip
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. last — finally
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — a short time
  11. toast — bread
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spell — letters
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. last — final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — to wash
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. swing — to play on
  23. shower — rain
  24. swing — music

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