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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. shower — to wash
  4. firm — steady
  5. drill — a practice
  6. track — to keep track
  7. shower — rain
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — to tease
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. kid — child
  16. track — a song
  17. firm — a company
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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