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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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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: shower · bowl · content · pound · fan · object · game · mug

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. object — a thing
  8. shower — rain
  9. mug — a face
  10. game — wild animals
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mug — to rob
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. game — a match
  16. object — to protest
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — the amount
  23. pound — a weight
  24. content — happy

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