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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — in a race
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ground — a position
  7. cue — a signal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. shower — rain
  10. cue — for pool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cue — a hint
  17. pit — a hole
  18. ground — the earth

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