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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mug — a face
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position

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