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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · shower · mouse · scale · bowl · object · clip · pit

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. object — an aim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — a video
  8. current — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. current — electric
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — a thing
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pit — a hole
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — happening now
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pit — in a race

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